


Inheritance

by KeJae



Category: Chuck (TV), White Collar
Genre: Gen, Pinterest, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2019-11-29 05:26:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18218816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeJae/pseuds/KeJae
Summary: "Your eccentric great uncle recently died and left you his estate, which includes a rather large house filled with doors that don't always lead where you'd expect."  This is a Pinterest prompt exploring Neal's heritage, his inheritance, and the fun he could have with such a place.





	1. The Package

*******

Eyeing the envelope on his desk, Neal wasn't sure how to approach it. Could it be a package from an enemy smuggled in through contacts, information not appropriate for the FBI's eyes, or something else unforeseen? With the questions roving through his mind, he was approaching his desk with caution.

"Are you going to open it? Staring at it doesn't do anything." Peter pestered from beside him. The two were just entering the office to start the day much as they always did so Peter had observed the entire process.

"Hey, is there anything wrong with using caution?" Neal chided his friend to have patience.

"You don't use caution, you're impulsive." Peter quipped while he shifted closer to the envelope attempting to peek at the address in the corner.

Intercepting his friend, Neal blocked his approach while defending himself. "I'm cautious. You only caught me on the bonds."

Unable to argue, Peter redirected the conversation back to the envelope, "Stop digressing, you are still avoiding the topic of conversation, open the envelope already!"

Finding himself slightly irritated, Neal quipped, "I know we've only had cold cases and mortgage fraud lately, but are you seriously saying you have nothing better to do than to probe into my mail?"

"Nope," Peter popped the p as he pulled a chair up and made himself comfortable before tapping Neal's desk directing him to also take a seat.

Noticing that the rest of the office had also quieted down, Neal realized Peter wasn't the only one eager for a distraction. Sighing, he knew he might as well give up. Shifting the envelope away from Peter's encroaching fingers, he lightly slapped the dancers away. Holding the envelope close, he pulled up his chair and sat down.

Still, he didn't open the envelope as he nervously wondered what it might contain. The sender information didn't clue him in at all as it was official but unfamiliar.

In response to Peter's rolling fingers, he slid his letter opener under the flap and slowly moved it along. There weren't any puffs of substance or an explosion, so he considered it a good start. Sliding the folded pile of papers out onto his desk, he hadn't expected there to be so many, but it explained the size and weight of the package.

Observing what he could see of the contents, he noticed that the papers were blank on one side, but they likely contained a lot of something if they were written through on the other.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Neal could hear the impatience radiating off of Peter as he tried to withhold further comment but shifted for the first peek. "I'm opening it."

With the first page clasped in his fingers, Neal stopped suddenly causing Peter to look at him questioningly. "I know everyone's listening and eager for a distraction, but I ask for the right to withhold information if this is too personal. Do I have that?" He didn't want anyone badgering him for details, or for Peter to take the documents to satiate his curiosity or to ensure they weren't criminal. What if it was clearance sensitive, or a personal threat?

"Agreed, you have the right to privacy as long as it isn't criminal related." Peter gave him the reassurance he expected, but something in his tone gave the indication that he expected to get details from him later if he refused to share with the office. Sometimes having the archeologist for a friend meant evading the inquisition even over minor things.

Hearing the general murmur of agreement from the rest of the eavesdroppers, Neal knew he wouldn't be mobbed if he withheld anything, just subtly questioned until something else garnered their interest.

"What do you think it could be?" Peter questioned as he reached for the sheet in Neal's hand trying to angle the paper for a better glimpse.

Shrugging as he withheld the page and lifted it, Neal started reading it to himself before going over the first part again. "My great-uncle died?"

"Did you know you had a great-uncle?" Peter asked while the rest of the office listened. Neal's surprise was telling and it piqued Peter's curiosity about his past enough to digress from the mystery before them.

"I didn't know I had a family, let alone a great-uncle," Neal commented.

"How come? Didn't your parents tell you about them?" Peter followed the trail to see where it would lead.

"No, my mom told me my dad was dead and we had no other family, while my aunt backed her up. Then again, when I turned eighteen, I learned that dad wasn't dead and everything I knew about my heritage was built on lies, including the truth that my aunt isn't actually my aunt." Turning to Peter, there wasn't any humor in Neal's voice. "You've always seen my past as a puzzle you wish to uncover, but what you've never realized, is that it's a mystery to me as well. I've spent most of my life trying to find my heritage and who I am. You may think I experimented too much, but it's been the only avenue I could think of to fill in so many blanks." Peter might not mind some of the CIA aspects of his experimentation, but even that might not be acceptable. Although it could be perceived as both a good and bad thing, a black ops agent was vastly different from a nonviolent White Collar con.

Putting his hand on Neal's shoulder, Peter told him, "I may not like your criminal experiments, but I like the man you turned out to be and I think you can still achieve far more if you try."

Ducking his head, Neal appreciated the compliment, "Thanks."

Not liking how quietly Neal took the compliment or the depth of the hurt Neal was masking with general acknowledgment, Peter asked if he was alright.

"Yes. He was my great uncle, I never knew him. Besides, most don't live long enough to see their great grandchildren born, let alone grow up. Considering that, it's a wonder he lived this long." Neal stared at the papers a little dazed as he reconsidered what he was missing out on and what he might have learned had they only met, even for a brief period.

Giving his friend's shoulder a squeeze, Peter knew he wasn't okay. "You're deflecting. How are you, really?"

"Okay, really, it's just… this means I might be the last Caffrey standing. Will I ever learn my heritage?" Neal wondered if the papers before him were the key to learning who he was, or if any chances he had to find the truth were buried with his kin.

"Maybe you inherited something that could help? You haven't read beyond the introduction." Jones piped in from his desk showing how quiet the office had gotten. Sliding his chair over, he silently offered his services as the resident lawyer just in case Neal had questions.

Giving up the pretense of work, Diana took up residence behind them too. "Oh, what if he legally acquired some masterpieces for a change?" Her jab had a jovial tone removing any sting. She was teasing him while trying to create interest in possibilities.

"Come on, Neal, read the rest of it." Peter encouraged in a softer voice. The reveal was food for thought to consider later, but at present, he still had the mystery before him to ponder and it proved a good distraction for Neal to rebuild his supports.

Returning to his silent reading, Neal skimmed through the legal documents for a few more pages. Then, in response to his audience's eager attention, he was forced to explain what they contained to reduce the growing irritation at his prolonged silence. "I'm getting his history now. To summarize, Connal Caffrey emigrated from Ireland as a child where he'd been the son of a poor farmer working the fields. Here, he forewent education and instead went into work on the docks. He started at the bottom in one of the shipping companies before working up to management and eventually going into business for himself."

Whistling, Jones was interested in what that likely meant. "I bet you inherited the company or at least some fortune he made off of it."

"What if it's an estate, maybe a mansion?" Diana grinned from behind where she was leaning on a desk.

"We won't know if he doesn't keep reading, what else does it say?" Peter applied to the source.

Putting his hand up, Neal indicated he was reading. Then when the patience was wearing thin around him again, Neal finished summarizing the contents. "They want me to be tested to prove I am in fact who I say I am. There is a facility for DNA testing with an appointment set for tomorrow and a legal company with a whole panel of lawyers names in representation for this."

Grasping onto an old question, Peter tried to catch him off balance. "So, Neal Caffrey is your real name? We've never been able to prove it for certain."

Grinning devilishly, Neal couldn't pass up the opportunity to share and tease. "Yes, and no. Caffrey is a family name, but not mine."

Enjoying a step of progress, but expecting the game, Peter grinned back. "You are a Caffrey by blood, but not in name, and you didn't specify on Neal. It's a start, and maybe these tests will be informative to all of us."

Knowing he had acknowledged Neal but denied Caffrey while clarifying on his relation, Neal didn't expect Peter to pick up on that. "Maybe, but you're further behind than you think, or maybe further ahead than you expected?"

Ignoring the head game, Jones jumped the conversation back to the interesting information presented by the forms. "That sounds like the preemptive steps to the reading of a will and a large inheritance. Are you going to pursue it?"

The speculation interrupted Neal's ability to answer as the office exploded in ideas as to what he might inherit.

"What's going on out here?" Hughes barked from the landing making everyone jump as they'd been too distracted by the conversation to notice when he opened his door and stepped out.

As the second in command, Peter took the inquiry. "Neal got a mystery letter. It turns out, his great-uncle died and he appears to be in line for some kind of inheritance, possibly as the last standing member of his family."

Calling them up, Hughes then barked for the rest of the office to, "Get back to work. I know we've only got cold cases and everyone's bored, but this the FBI, not a coffee shop for gossiping."

Ducking their heads, the team went back to their activities previous to the distraction, but it didn't stop their imaginations from running wild.

Climbing up the stairs, Peter and Neal walked together before taking their respective seats closeted in the boss' office.

"Now, what is this about inheriting?" Hughes asked them in general but was looking at Peter for the more trusted source.

Pointing at the papers Neal held, Peter shifted indicating him to lay them on the desk. "Neal's great-uncle died and he got this package. The papers summarize Caffrey's life before requesting Neal to be submitted to testing, including DNA, and appearing in front of a legal panel. Jones feels this is an indication of a pending will and inheritance waiting for confirmation he is eligible."

Holding his hand on the forms for a moment, Neal answered Hughes' obvious question. "This is not some con. I was lied to my whole childhood and didn't know I still had a family."

Frowning, Hughes didn't wish to go into Neal's childhood as that was Peter's puzzle. "Is it possible someone may be targeting you?"

Removing his hand and sliding the forms over, Neal allowed Hughes to check the names of the organizations and lawyers involved.

"This seems legit" Hughes was still reading through information. "Do you intend to pursue this?"

"I would like to see what I can uncover about my heritage, but the process would require me going outside of my radius during working hours. That would cost an agent and time." Neal mentioned the initial hurdles.

Turning towards his lead agent, Hughes asked Peter's perspective. "What do you think?"

Glancing at Neal, Peter took his silence as authorization to speak. "When Neal discovered he'd still had family and had missed out on the opportunities of learning his family heritage, he explained that much of his experimentation over the years has been an effort to fill in the blanks of who he is. This could present a huge opportunity to legally discover those answers. As long as he behaves, I don't see a problem with him missing a day or two to complete the test and perhaps using personal time down the road to investigate."

Nodding, Hughes agreed that it could be considered a part of his rehabilitation and set up the procedures to make it possible for Peter to take Neal through the process.

When they'd finished, Hughes dismissed them and Peter wrangled Neal away to fetch a cup of coffee. A few more moments to regain his focus, and then they had work to do to cover the time they'd be missing.


	2. The Will

*******

Starting first thing the next morning, Peter escorted Neal through the entire process remaining by his side where he could and offering support when needed.

They started with the medical facility. Neal went into the back, the staff took their samples, and Peter waited in the front room. Clapping Neal on the shoulder when he was brought out, Peter encouraged that phase one towards the possibility of discovering his heritage was completed.

Then a few days later, the two walked into an expensive building. Upon announcing their names, they were escorted to a room with a huge oak table and leather chairs surrounded by shelves of old books. Peter was allowed to remain through the initial conversation as the panel of lawyers stated the legal ramifications should Neal falsify any of his information. Then the agent was escorted to a waiting room where he did the daily crossword puzzle and read the sports page to occupy his time. Neal remained behind to state factual information about his heritage as far as he knew and to sign his birth name. Due to the danger caused by his father's actions, it was best to have the personal information verified in secret. When it was done, Peter once again met Neal when he was brought out announcing the completion of the work with phase two.

Proceeding back to their normal schedules, they played the waiting game while everything went through legal channels.

*******

When the day came to hear the will read, they were back at the lawyer's offices sitting in one of their side rooms where a large table and official chairs took the focal point with rows of general seats facing them.

Neal sat in the front row reserved for the family with Peter by his side. While they waited for the panel to enter and take their seats, they observed the others milling about in the back or waiting patiently in their respective seats.

Many of them looked like loyal staff or valued employees as they talked or sat in the back rows. However, one woman in particular had Neal's attention. She was older, well dressed, and sat in the same row as he and Peter.

"You're wondering if she could be family, aren't you?" Peter softly questioned pulling him from his contemplation.

"Yes, she's sitting in the row for the family. Is that a consideration to her age, because she's an old friend, or is she somehow related? I don't know enough about my family to pick out traits and no one has told me if there are any other Caffreys, so I can only guess." Neal hoped she might be related, or at least a family friend who would be willing to shed light on his ancestors.

"Are you going to try talking to her?" Peter wondered as he also observed the woman.

"She's sitting stiffly and has glared my way a time or two, so either she sees me as competition, or she doesn't like me for some reason. I wonder if she knows about my past." Neal speculated. There wasn't much else to do, so he might as well garner what information he could from his environment and those in it.

"Unless she hired a private investigator, and there have been no inquiries beyond those of the lawyers, she shouldn't know your record. Maybe she's family and was made aware of your history, or perhaps she just sees you as competition for something she wants." Peter added to his speculation material while he absently flipped through the pamphlet they'd been given at the door.

"Possibly, or maybe she doesn't think I deserve whatever I may get? She could see me as a stranger and usurper swooping in after his passing to lay claim to his properties while she, a long term friend, is cut out of what she sees more rightfully hers? If that's the case, I can't entirely blame her either way. Who would want a criminal stranger coming in to take their friend's things, even if it were just a desk of sentimental items?" Neal further speculated on possible reasons for her behavior. The team had been teasing him with potential items he could inherit so he had plenty of material to pull from.

"You've been proven a Caffrey by blood which makes you eligible to inherit. The fact you weren't around isn't your fault, and as you said, you didn't know you had a family so it's understandable why you didn't seek him out. I'm sure she wouldn't be so upset if she knew you." Peter closed the pamphlet again as he tried to reassure his friend.

"What would you do if you discovered I was about to inherit your family valuables?" Neal turned the question to his friend. "Would you accept that a criminal was getting something that you felt should go to you instead?'

Frowning, Peter didn't like the assumptions behind the statement. "You're making assumptions. My family doesn't have anything particularly valuable, and what I value most, isn't something you could take."

"That doesn't answer the question. What would you say if I was to inherit your father's baseball mitt? You've talked about the fond memories you've had playing with your father growing up so it would have sentimental value to you." Neal pushed the point. He expected Peter to get upset.

"I already have the mitt I used to play with my father." Leaning back, he turned towards Neal waiting for his response.

"But wouldn't you want to play with your son someday, using your father's mitt while your son uses yours?" Neal mirrored Peter's actions.

Shaking his head, Peter knew Neal was trying to make him angry, to get him to admit that he'd be mad if Neal inherited ahead of him. "If you want my father's mitt so badly, I can ask him for it next time I visit. Better yet, I can give him a call after this and ask him to mail it." Let Neal counter that, Peter enjoyed throwing him for a loop.

Blinking, Neal paused to gauge his reaction. "You're joking, there is no way you'd be okay with that."

Sighing, Peter pulled out his phone and started to dial his father's number. "You want me to prove it?"

Stopping his friend, Neal wasn't sure what to do with his actions. "Let him be, I don't want his mitt."

Putting his phone away, Peter explained his actions. "You don't have a heritage with your family, I do. I have the mitt I used, the memories, and my dad himself to help me remember. His mitt… Sure, it would be considered a nice piece of those memories, but that's his side of the memories, not mine." Regaining his position of focus on Neal, Peter finished his point. "Why wouldn't I want to share those memories with my friend? Maybe you'd want to play catch if you had the mitt. That would be a good indication you were finally learning sense." The jab was a jocular addition to lighten their moods.

Seeing the intent at humor for what it was, Neal snorted lightly. "I have sense, the lack of interest in baseball doesn't indicate the lack thereof. If that were the case, you'd lack sense for your disinterest in good food and fine art." Turning the words around was his best reaction.

Settling in to enjoy the game, Peter was getting ready to reply when the door opened and the lawyers entered the room. While they walked forwards, everyone found their seats or turned their attention to the front in preparation for the reading to start.

Taking their seats as well, the lawyers got settled before starting proceedings.

Going through the preliminary details, they reiterated the life of Connal Caffrey. The information started by describing his family life and field work in Ireland before the family immigrated to the US looking for opportunities to raise themselves. Then it described his rise as he started at the bottom working on the docks in the city, moved up to management, and eventually went into business for himself later in life. His company was described as being very profitable which quickly provided the funds for him to purchase property and begin building his estate. Caffrey had taken a personal interest in designing his mansion and had ensured that no copies of the blueprints beyond the legal requirements were allowed to remain in existence. This meant that no one knew the house better than he and allowed him to use that to his advantage. Proving to be eccentric at heart, he often invited his management and peers in the field to parties and retreats. With them in his home, he put on a show keeping his mental capacity in question at all times to guarantee that he would be underestimated. No one tried to cheat him, which was exactly what he intended for. Through the years, he continued to entertain at his mansion and became less directly involved in the business until it was mostly run by a panel. He was always too busy for personal relationships so he had never married and one by one his family had passed away. When his health began to fail, he wrote his will requesting the majority of his property be left to his nearest of kin should one be found, while the rest was divided to his friend and most loyal employees. Finally, at the ripe old age of ninety-nine, Connal Caffrey had passed away in his sleep.

Moving on to the purpose of the will, the lawyers began calling names and dividing out what was left to them.

Starting through the names of those occupying the back rows, shares in the company or funds were divided out to the loyal employees of the company and estate.

Then moving on to the woman at the end of the row, it turned out she was Connal's oldest and dearest friend. She was given shares in the company, financial funds, and sentimental items only she would understand.

Finally, the panel reached Neal. As the nearest living relative, he was to inherit the remaining shares of the company, his fortune, and the estate including all it contained.

Completing the process, the lawyers had the people come up one by one to sign forms accepting their inheritance before receiving access to their new possessions. This meant forms and checks for those receiving financial benefits, and several forms for those gaining shares. The old friend also got a key to a facility where the sentimental items had already been removed to.

Once they had all gone through the process and gone home, that left Neal, still seated in shock as he realized he had inherited nearly all they had speculated about: a company, fortune, and an estate with a mansion. It was likely the mansion contained a great many valuables such as antique furniture and old masterpieces, but those weren't what excited Neal. He was surprised at how lucky he was because that much stuff had to include a journal, letters, and other paraphernalia where he might find answers to his heritage.

"Come on Neal, let's get your forms signed and head home. Everyone's waiting at the party." Peter encouraged while putting a hand on his back to help him get moving. Remaining close by for support, Peter helped him up and then guided him to the front table.

Signing the forms, receiving the key and address, and providing the necessary information towards transferring the bank records, Neal had the finishing touches yet to do, but enough was accomplished for him to walk away with the key and legal ownership of his great-uncle's possessions.

Reaching the Burkes, Peter opened the door to reveal Elizabeth, June, Jones, Diana, and Mozzie waiting for him.

Pulling out the key for all to see, Neal announced what he inherited, "Everything, the company, fortune, and estate with a mansion."

Cheering and hugging, the group congratulated him on his lucky break before digressing into a conversation about the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, everyone, for reading, following, choosing to favorite, leaving kudos, and commenting/reviewing :D
> 
> It was bought to my attentiont that I haven't posted my notice in sometime. For anyone who is newer at following my writing, I only post my stories when they're completey written and I update every weekend or work around travel when necessary. I also keep notices such as my posting schedule on my fanfiction.net profile page (link in my profile page here) along with a list of my work whether completed stories or in progress.


	3. The Mansion

*******

Carpooling, Peter, Elizabeth, Neal, and Mozzie took the lead car with Jones and Diana following behind with June. It was finally the weekend where they were driving out to see the estate. It wasn't a long drive which made the property accessible to the New Yorkers, but it was far beyond Neal's radius so the agency escort was required to be at least one agent.

When they reached their destination, Peter slowed down to allow Neal his first glimpse of the big metal gates with the lawns spanning away from the winding driveway beyond. Of course, it didn't hurt to give Neal the opportunity to get out, open the gate, and grant them access too.

With the driveway open, they drove slowly along taking in the expansive lawns and climbing up the hill until they reached the mansion perched at the top. It had a flare of Victorian design to it, but enough angles and details to conceal the exact size. They estimated three stories and maybe an attic, but it was tough to be sure.

Unloading in front, they paused to observe the old place.

"I think I saw someone?" Diana pointed to an empty window where a curtain appeared to be fluttering slightly.

Elizabeth shivered and leaned into Peter's side while he explained the statement away.

"The staff isn't present as they're waiting for Neal to settle and determine if he wants to rehire them or not, and no one is here but us. There must be a draft in that window causing the motion of the curtains." He gave a sideways glance to his agent discouraging more jokes of the kind. "Don't tease, Diana."

Smiling apologetically at Elizabeth, Diana confirmed she'd only joked about seeing someone and had chosen that window as the fluttering curtain loaned a realistic touch.

Shifting away from her husband slightly, Elizabeth expressed another fear. "I hope it doesn't storm, this is our first time here and the place seems rather large."

Giving her a sideways hug pulling her back, Peter attempted to reassure her. "The weather forecast was clear for the area this morning."

Holding his hand up to the air, Neal seemed to be testing for himself. "I hate to contradict your weatherman, but the air feels humid and the breeze smells like rain. My guess is we're in for a storm tonight."

Wasting no more time in observing the house from the outside, Neal pulled out his key and opened the main door giving his guest access into his abode.

"Nice place, Caffrey!" Jones commented on the stone entryway with the sweeping staircase carrying their eyes up to the next level.

Noting a tapestry hanging from the wall, Diana pointed at it wordlessly indicating that he had inherited masterpieces too.

Not knowing where anything was, Peter pulled out a flashlight and shone it around them. Then he suggested dividing out to find the necessities. "We need to find the kitchen, power source, more flashlights and candles, and the bedrooms. If a storm does hit, it's best to be prepared."

Agreeing with the practicality of the suggestion, they divided out to begin searching. June and Mozzie headed up the stairs, Jones and Diana found a basement entrance behind the stairs, Peter and Elizabeth proceeded down the side hall, and Neal went for the heart of the home alone.

As he walked, Neal noticed that the materials changed to wood instead of stone. The extravagance must have been intended to welcome and impress guests while keeping a warmer feeling for the rest of the space.

There were doors placed on both sides of the hallway often enough to indicate multiple entrances to a room or several rooms.

Turning a knob and opening one at random, Neal assumed it was an unused closet as the space went a few feet in before there was a wall.

When the next three doors garnered the same results, Neal began to suspect a hoax in play. The doors must have false walls hiding their true purpose and the staff must have set this up before their departure. Was it something they had been instructed to do to give him the full atmosphere of the place or was it an act of spite for the new owner?

Unable to answer, Neal chose to keep searching to see what he could find.

After a while though, he'd only found a masculine sitting room with a large fireplace and animals mounted on the wall, several closets or blank walls, and a few rooms that didn't appear to have been used in years.

Retracing his steps, Neal cut off down the hall after the Burkes.

Several doors had been left ajar so Neal proceeded past them. Glancing in two open ones, he saw the solarium and an office. Perhaps it was his uncle's office? Then there was another open door which led down a hallway.

Figuring the Burkes would investigate it, Neal chose to remain in his current hallway and continued to check doors.

After a few more closets, he discovered the kitchen. Turning the light on as a marker, he poked around in the side storage rooms to find candles and flashlights. With his basic goals covered there, he checked one more door which led out into a back maze of staff access points with a hallway and stairs leading both up and down.

Taking the downward stairs, he wound his way down to the basement level. Guessing, he went right and found a room with generators on his third try. It appeared to be self-sustaining with the ability to put excess power out onto the grid and get paid. That was a genius way to run the mansion and reduce costs.

Having accomplished the important goals he turned back to the stairs and climbed up to the second level.

Choosing the right hallway again, he started checking doors. Everyone until his eighth try showed the closets or walls again. When he finally got something different, it was at the end of the hallway and opened to a tight winding little staircase. This wasn't intended to hall supplies, but maybe it acted as an emergency exit?

Walking down, Neal hit a wall directly below where he had entered so he turned around and climbed up with the same results. Either it wasn't an emergency exit after all, or it could be closed off to contain should a fire break out.

Exiting, he retraced his steps back to the large stairs before taking the left side.

This time, his first door opened to the great outdoors. It was his second shot before he opened a door and discovered the master suite.

Walking in, he noticed that most of it was antique furniture but in great condition. He could keep all of it in a new layout. Opening the closet door, he found his great-uncles clothing. Most of it would go, but there might be something to keep.

Knowing where he was going to sleep, he figured he had a good start and might as well check in with the others.

Returning to the kitchen, it didn't look like anyone else had found it.

Pulling out his phone, Neal dialed Peter and waited while the phone rang. It was about to go to voicemail when the agent picked up.

"Another closet. This place is a maze!" That was muttered as an aside before Peter talked into the phone. "Hey, Neal. Did you find anything?"

Smiling, Neal was glad they were just lost, he'd almost started worrying beforehand. "Yeah, I'm standing in the kitchen and there are flashlights in one of the storage closets along with candles. Then through a back door and down the stairs is a generator room. Oh, hey. I also found the master suite." Neal told them a little about the space.

"Figures, only a Caffrey can figure another Caffrey out." Peter laughed into the phone.

Grinning, Neal appreciated the compliment. "Why don't you two backtrack and I'll meet you at the entrance to the hallway you took. Did you find anything down there?"

"No, not unless you count a bunch of doors that open to blank walls or tiny closets," Peter grumbled.

"We did find a few storage rooms with covered furniture." Elizabeth piped in from the background.

Amused, Neal continued to have a general conversation about the spaces discovered while he waited for the Burkes to meet him. When they came out of the side hallway, Neal walked with them back to the entryway intending to meet the others there at the rendezvous point.

Finding the space empty, Neal was about to call Mozzie when he and June came out of the upstairs hallway on the opposite side they had previously disappeared into.

"Both wings of the house connect up here," June noted as she gracefully descended the stairs. Having easy access to spaces would be good for the staff and convenient for the guest.

"Also, there are three stories as there's another level above this one." Mozzie piped in from beside her. "There's no shortage of guest rooms or lounge spaces here. By the way, I'd like to move in." He added the announcement like it was natural.

Nodding, Neal wasn't surprised based on the size of the space. "Pick yourself a room to start with, and we'll discuss the rest of the details later." Neal agreed in general, but he was going to lay ground rules before giving his friend free rein. "Have you seen Jones or Diana since we split up?"

"No, we didn't run into anyone up here," June answered reaching the bottom of the stairs.

Calling Jones, Neal figured he'd have better luck with the more serious member of the duo. Since there wasn't an answer before it went to voicemail, he was about to dial Diana when they jumped out from behind the tapestry causing everyone to jump.

"Gotcha!" Diana crowed while laughing at their expressions.

Shrugging apologetically, Jones explained. "We went down to the basement, through an empty hallway, up a small set of stairs, and into a hallway full of doors. We tied strings on the doors we checked, but most of them went nowhere in particular."

"Then we found one that opened into a hallway. Following it, there was a backset of stairs that wound up into a small room with a secret entrance behind the tapestry there." Diana was too busy laughing to finish her explanation.

Picking it up to finish the story, Jones explained why he hadn't answered Neal's call. "We could hear your conversation and you calling us so Diana wanted to see if we could scare you. She had me mute my phone before you called. Then while you were doing that, we were finding the door and moving into position before jumping out while you were distracted.

Taking the scare, Neal was glad the group was back together and seemed to have accomplished their original intent, even if some had a little extra fun along the way.

Beginning the guided tour, Neal showed the way to the kitchen, supplies, and generator room alternating between leaving lights on or doors open to create a path for them to follow later if needed. Then he gave way to June and Mozzie as they showed the hallway of guest rooms in the other wing.

Walking along, the guests picked which rooms they wanted before returning to the entryway to retrieve their luggage. Dispersing, everyone went to settle in their rooms with the agreement to regroup in the kitchen shortly to prepare dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, everyone, for reading, reviewing/commenting, choosing to favorite, leaving kudos, and following :D


	4. The Secret

*******

After a while, they collected in the kitchen where they divided up the tasks to prepare a meal. Mozzie disappeared in the hopes of finding something to drink, Peter became the errand runner fetching supplies, Elizabeth and June teamed up to create a main dish, Jones and Diana team up to create side dishes, and Neal figured out the vintage appliances to ensure everything cooked evenly.

When they had the spread laid out on a counter, Mozzie returned with a couple of dusty bottles of unknown vintage to complete the meal.

Passing through buffet style, the group served themselves before finding available seating. Some sat on the floor, counters, and a few managed to claim a small corner table likely used by staff monitoring meal preparations.

Conversing, the group began discussing what the mansion might contain as means of entertainment.

"I wonder if the basement has a swimming pool somewhere down there. The number of doors that lead nowhere could indicate a large space hidden behind a specific door, or maybe they can all be opened up to create an easier flow of guests? If that's the case, you'd think guests would likely be tired by the time they found it, if they found it at all." Jones speculated.

Diana added her hopes between bites. "There could be a gym too, or Neal could create one."

"A theatre would be lovely. Can you imagine those vintage home theatres for plays? Many of them were updated to include screens for modern movies." Elizabeth liked the idea of the creepy mansion being the precursor to a play.

June agreed and added imagery to the theatre. "I love those old popcorn machines while watching a classic movie on the big screen." Describing some old memories, she painted fond pictures of what it could be like.

"I just hope there's somewhere around for sports. Maybe a baseball diamond could be tucked into some corner out there?" Peter, a little boy at heart, loved the idea of tossing a ball around without competing for space.

"Maybe I can get permission to come stay once in a while too, or do you plan to book your reservations for the entire facility? It is close enough for short weekends when there isn't time to travel greater distances, but this isn't a resort," Neal commented. He liked the idea of his friends making themselves at home in his large place as there was plenty of room, but he didn't want to lose any more control over his life than necessary. "I may be a con under your authority, but I'd like to think that's not all I am and that I can retain the right of inviting people over instead of everyone taking advantage."

Abashed, the group knew Mozzie had asked for permission to move in which provided some presence when Neal couldn't be there and benefited him with another safe house, but Neal hadn't invaded their homes uninvited. June had been the one to initiate Neal moving in, and after that first appearance on his doorstep with case information, Peter had created means for Neal to visit freely.

"You're more than a criminal now; you're our friend, Neal." Elizabeth corrected his statement. "Although the entertainment may not be present or things you don't want to add in if they're not, we're just entertaining ourselves about possibilities."

The others raised their glasses in agreement, but some chose to add their own comments.

"I wouldn't have taken your offer if you were just a criminal," Peter commented while his expression spoke more deeply about his opinion of their friendship. As usual, he masked affection with code.

Waiving his finger between himself and Diana, Jones added. "We don't hang out with people who are just criminals outside of fieldwork, and we certainly don't visit their mansions."

"Don't undervalue our friendship by downplaying it as pity or something; we don't need to stoop that low." Diana pointed her finger at him in warning. She didn't appreciate the connotation his words could mean.

Swirling his wine, Mozzie commented, "I actually hang out with criminals, but you know you're not ordinary, mon frère."

"Here, here." June clinked glasses with the con showing her agreement.

In the quiet that followed while Neal absorbed their words, a distant sound began through the house, then it grew in volume causing everyone to jump started by the noise. Once their minds caught up to it being a number of grandfather's clocks echoing the time, they dissolved into laughter.

With the awkwardness removed, Neal addressed their previous statements. "Thanks. I don't mind the idea of you guys coming to visit and picking favorite rooms or whatever, and, although you could probably sneak through here without my noticing even if I did live here full time, I appreciate the consideration that you at least ask first."

Agreeing, the group finished their meal and cleaned up before heading to their respective rooms for the night. As the storm hit and the darkness flooded the space, it was wise to put off exploration until the morning when they could figure out the secrets of the doors and find light switches more easily.

*******

Reconvening for a group breakfast much as they had processed dinner the night before, the group soon dispersed to begin exploring.

Starting with the office, Neal hoped to find journals, letters, and other paraphernalia about his heritage.

Taking a seat behind the desk, he started opening drawers and sifting through their contents. Unfortunately, he only found stationary and other writing utensil supplied for guests to use.

Moving to peruse the books, he found they were mostly classic novels and other books intended to entertain guests.

Combined, it seemed to be a library and guest office space with lounge seating and sweeping views of the lawns.

Disappointed, he didn't know where to begin next but settled on his wing surrounding the master suite.

Reaching his destination, he chose the first door into the hallway and opened it. Stepping into the small closet, he tapped on the walls and discovered that the back did indeed have something behind it. After running his hand over the main areas, he hadn't found the means to open the panel.

Putting his finger into the hole of the strike plate, he wiggled his finger about in the space until he hit a lever and heard a click which popped the panel open. Pushing it the rest of the way, he chuckled at the discovery of a nursery. Why was there a baby bed and toys for adult guests?

Unable to discern the answer, he moved on to the next room and tried the same trick to open the door, but it didn't work. This time, he was able to press the inner panel trim and it popped open to reveal a lever for the secret door. The space behind was a playroom likely created to match the nursery of the previous room.

Continuing down the hallway and back up towards his suite, he found additional guest rooms he could use if he wanted everyone closer to him.

The checking the final room right next to his bedroom, he found the office he'd been looking for. It was fairly clean so the staff knew of it, but it wasn't likely to be frequented as it appeared to be fairly private.

Sitting behind the desk, he began shuffling the mountain of paperwork about in an effort to gain a feel for what it contained.

Reading the papers, he piled the business-related documents in one pile with a ledger as a paperweight. Then he put personal papers in another pile with a glass paperweight to keep them in place.

While he was proceeding through the pile, Peter popped his head in through the open door. "So this is where you got off to. You didn't show up for lunch so we were trying to find you." He walked in and started flipping through the books in the pile Neal hadn't gotten to yet.

After several minutes passed without Neal responding, Peter asked, "Did you find what you're looking for, Bryce?"

Startled, Neal dropped the document he'd been reading. "What?"

Noticing that he'd gotten a reaction, Peter explained himself. "This appears to be your uncle's journal. It says your legal name is Bryce Larkin according to the lawyers' research as they looked for you."

"They looked for me?" Neal chose to ignore the reference to his legal name and hoped Peter would ignore it if he didn't draw attention.

Withholding the journal, Peter had demands to be fulfilled before he'd hand it over. "I'll give this to you on one condition. Come down and get something to eat before you start reading it."

Agreeing, Neal was relieved to have the journal and fingered through the pages while Peter guided him to the kitchen.

Then in an effort to make him eat, Peter took the book back and engaged Neal in conversation while he fixed himself a sandwich by asking how he'd opened the doors. Taking mental notes, he wanted to try them through the area surrounding the kitchen to see if he could find a dining room or a space with more seating.

When Neal had eaten and Peter had helped him put the supplies away, he disappeared back to his office to read.

Making use of the new found information, Peter started working on the doors and quickly found the dining room behind the next door. Then moving through additional doors nearby, he found the linen closet and the China closet.

While he was checking to see if the China closet connected to the dining room, he heard Jones pass by, backtrack, and then pop in.

"Hey, how did you open these doors?" The agent had given up on the secrets and was figuring out the feel of the overall place by walking the hallways in an effort to learn its general layout.

"Neal," Peter grinned at the unvoiced agreement that of course Caffrey was the one to figure it out. "He found his uncle's office and is working on sorting through its contents looking for information on his heritage."

"Has he found anything good?" Jones asked out of general curiosity.

"I don't know, but I think I did. He hadn't gotten to the journal yet, but it states that Neal's legal name is Bryce Larkin. My calling him Bryce really startled him." Peter wondered why it garnered such a reaction. Was Neal simply surprised, or did he have secrets he didn't want to be discovered?

"Did I hear you say Bryce Larkin, as in the legendary CIA agent Bryce Larkin?" Diana ducked in to join the conversation.

Frowning, Peter wasn't sure if there was any connection. "Neal's legal name is Bryce Larkin according to his uncles' journal. Who is this CIA guy?"

Checking the hallway before closing the door, Diana made sure they weren't going to be overheard. "According to the rumors, Larkin is a legendary agent. He's pulled feats that have stopped war, prevented deaths, and are rumored to have saved the world. The legends range from fantastic feats of thefts to masterful con artistry through capable fighting when crossed while his mentors are the old legends like Winters and Orion. Rumors circulate Washington but are cloaked in secrets so it's difficult to prove anything."

"Neal's a master con and thief, could he be hiding combat training?" Jones wondered as he leaned back against the handiest shelving unit.

"Why would he be portraying Caffrey though? Larkin is a black ops agent, so he wouldn't have jurisdiction." Diana realized she too was on the brink of believing it, if only they could find grounding evidence to prove it.

"Could it involve his family? He said his mother lied to him throughout his childhood until he learned the truth. Also, he's a Caffrey by blood so the identity could be personal." Peter also realized he was on the brink of believing it and found a place to lean.

Continuing to discuss the possibility, they liked the idea of being able to monitor Neal if he was Larkin and returned to his field. Then they moved on to planning how to confirm if he was the legendary agent. Taking command as the leader, Peter divided out the tasks.

"Diana, can you use your contacts to try for a picture, but just a picture? If we can visually confirm he's Neal, then that would be solid proof. Jones, could you set digital alerts in the system, to pick up if his name pops up anywhere officially? It can't be noticed, but something only we can trace?" Peter gave them the safer tasks while taking the more dangerous for himself. Even being friendly, they could get into a lot of trouble by messing with another agency's personnel, especially one as vital as Larkin seemed to be.

"What are you going to do, boss?" Diana asked the obvious question.

Explaining his role simply, Peter shrugged as he hoped to learn something more substantial. "I'm going to take the more direct approach. Bryce Larkin came up in relation to Neal, so I'm going to research and see what pops up. If someone asks why I have the valid excuse of it being an identity related to him according to the journal."

"I think we've got a plan, but we had better get out of the China closet before someone gets suspicious. None of us are interested in China." Jones commented to lighten the mood after their conversation before opening the door for them to file back out. Splitting up, they moved to find their own corners of the house to investigate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, everyone, for reading, reviewing/commenting, and leaving kudos :D


	5. The Journal

*******

Coming down later in the evening, Neal was pleasantly surprised to find dinner already prepared with a set table in the dining room.

"I see you put my discoveries to good use," Neal commented to Peter when he found him lighting the candles in the middle of the spread.

Pausing in his activities to glance up, Peter smiled while wondering what secrets Neal might be hiding. If he was the legendary spy, he didn't generally show any signs characteristic of it, unless you meant those also associated with those of the charming con artist. Then he showed the brilliance a lot. Perhaps that was how they missed it?

Dropping the smile, Neal wondered why Peter was studying him with such a curious expression. "Did I get something on my face?"

Shaking his head, Peter pulled himself out of his contemplation. "No, there's nothing on your face that I can see. I was just thinking." Then he went back to lighting the candles.

Frowning slightly, Neal wondered what had him so curious. Then he remembered the journal stating his legal name. Was Peter aware of anything about Bryce Larkin, was he trying to see the spy in him? If Peter caught the scent of the spy in him, then the archeologist would be all over his past trying to verify the truth of his identity.

Breaking the silence, Elizabeth entered the room to touch Neal on the arm as she joined him. "Good, you found your way down for dinner. Did you find anything good in your search?"

"Peter found my uncle's journal. According to it, I was here once before. My mother and I visited when I was two… before everything happened." Neal stopped talking as the journal reminded him of his uncle's glee. At least he had met the man and been able to entertain him with his childish wonder at the strange mansion.

"Will you tell us about it while we eat?" Elizabeth asked as she looked up at him before glancing over at her husband.

"I can. As long as the rest of you share what you've discovered as well." Neal agreed to the request as the others came in to join them from their final preparations in the other room.

Making the agreement to share their discoveries, the group joined at the table and settled in to eat.

Passing the food around, Peter described finding the collection of main rooms on the floor. He had found the rest of the storage rooms about the kitchen and dining room, the dining room, and a back entrance to the house. The spaces had hidden closets and spaces within the so the searches had kept him occupied through the day.

Taking over the conversation, Diana described her search through the basement. Once she learned the trick to discovering what was behind the false walls, she started finding several storage spaces and open rooms with no apparent use. Many of the spaces were dirty and didn't appear to be used much if at all. Perhaps there had been intent for the spaces, but they hadn't come to fruition based on the lack of use.

Jones discussed finding some secret passages that wound between the rooms through the walls. By the time the evening had come on, he had mapped out two separate systems and theorized where they might be connected.

Elizabeth had spent a while investigating the contents of the rooms with open doors from the conservatory, public office, the inner sitting room, a full-sized library, and the run of the general hallways. She had taken time to poke around the rooms not only to see where they were but an idea of what they contained.

June had walked the halls of the upper floors getting a feel for the spaces. She had also tried her hand at some of the mysterious doors managing to open a few. One door also opened to the outdoors, a few onto a large deck that spanned across the back, and more had opened to additional guest rooms and lounging spaces.

Mozzie opened a book and jotted notes of their discoveries for his future mapping. He had occupied himself by beginning on the outside of the house to set his measurements for the boundaries. Then he had worked inwards starting to create an arrangement of what was where. As he worked, he intended to continue filling his maps in with additional details but, to begin with, he was curious to discover the secret rooms and spaces.

As the meal progressed, Neal began to share his story. "Things were going rough between my parents. It was before… my father's activities were discovered, but after they were occurring in secret. He was stressing to keep his activities from being discovered and their marriage was feeling the strain. Bringing me here as a small vacation, my mother wanted me to meet my great-uncle and for him to meet me. Based on his comments, I bear some resemblance to him, in my general features anyway. When we arrived, he set about a ritual of taking me to my room, only to open the door to a closet." Pausing to laugh, Neal was amused to remember the next part of the story.

"I began to cry in distress at the thought I'd be forced to sleep in the small dark space. So while my mom tried to soothe me, he apologized and promised to make it better. Closing himself into the space, he released the hidden door behind and then stepped back into the hallway. Calling my mother from her pacing as she tried to calm me, he showed me the space again. This time he revealed a room with a bed and stuffed animals placed around for my pleasure." Taking another moment to grin at his friends, Neal let them indulge in the teasing smiles and sparkling eyes.

"The second introduction brought a gasp of surprise and delighted exclamations of gibberish. He was enthused with my excitement and showed my mom around the space. A crib that could also function as a toddler bed had been installed for me and the space had been converted into a venerable nursery… even just for my brief visit." There was a wonder to Neal's voice as he realized he had been cared about and enjoyed by his distant relation, even for just that one brief time.

Picking the story back up for its conclusion, he told them about the general engagements of walking on the lawns, playing with balls in a gym of sorts, enjoying family dinners at the end of the very table they were seated at. "It may not be a big modern gym as you imagined, but there does appear to be a large space designed for indoor sports around here somewhere," Neal noted to Peter and Diana in response to their earlier comments about available entertainment.

"Maybe we'll have to see about playing a round of something if we find it on this trip," Peter commented back gently.

Everyone seemed pleased in Neal's discovery of family connection so no one wanted to intrude on his reminiscence. The rest of the meal passed in general and pleasant conversation whether Neal participated or tried to remember his previous visit.

*******

During the night, another storm passed through causing creaks and noises from mysterious locations through the house. Unable to sleep, Neal chose to poke around his new room again. It was the last night for their trip before they would have to return to the city after lunch.

Knocking on the walls around the room, he found another panel that popped open to reveal access to a secret door. Opening the door, he felt the cool chill of the deserted passage before retrieving a robe for additional warmth, shoes to protect his feet, and a flashlight to help him see his way.

As he walked along, he occasionally knocked on the wall trying to figure out if there were other doors that would lead him out to other rooms, or if the passageway was designed more with eavesdropping purposes in mind. Did his uncle spy on his guest by listening to their private conversations through the wall? It was a potential use… and would indicate spying to be a family trait, in a way.

Reaching a point where he could hear noises from the other side of the wall, he received a knock back followed by the order to go to bed. Apparently, he had accidentally disturbed Peter and Elizabeth in their efforts to sleep. Speaking at a normal level, he apologized before meandering his way back to his own room.

Chuckling as he took off his extra attire, Neal hoped he hadn't scared Elizabeth. She'd shown distaste for the haunted house atmosphere while being the first one to jump and twitch when something startling happened. If Peter was startled by the creepy presence of someone in the walls, at least he had kept his wits to knock back and order him off.

Maybe… they needed to spend another weekend while hosting a haunted house party. Mozzie should be able to rig up plenty of creepy things to keep his guest on their toes.

Amused at the intriguing idea, Neal decided to go to bed with the intent to run the possibility past Mozzie in the morning.

*******

Meeting for breakfast, Neal watched his guests to see if he had disturbed anyone other than the Burkes in his late night wandering. Depending on who showed reactions, he could come up with plans to scare them in the future once he knew the place better to make use of its secrets.

Jones looked a little nervous as he questioned Mozzie about his late night knocking trying to get a confession from the shorter man. Mozzie continued to deny all presence near his room as he was occupied sketching additional details to his map at the time of the alleged visit. Then he further increased Jones' uncertainty by asking questions related to haunted house stories.

June made comments about shutters or a tree branch knocking at times through the storm. She had heard him but wasn't disturbed.

Diana enjoyed feeding the flames by coming up with alleged theories. Who knew she enjoyed the occasional scary movie?

Smirking behind his cup, Neal knew Diana would be a worthy foe to spook, June wouldn't be easy, but Jones could be convinced with a good show.

Then interrupting his fun, the Burkes were last to join the group. "Did you find anything interesting in your wanderings last night?" Peter asked as he accepted a cup of coffee. Elizabeth stayed close to him and looked like she hadn't slept as she cuddled into his side.

"I'm sorry, El. It was me meandering around that seems to have disturbed your sleep." He focused on her first and was rewarded with her easing her posture up in tension even though she remained close to lean on her husband.

Then he answered Peter turning his head to show the change in attention. "Obviously, I found the secret passage leading to the room you selected. In theory, my uncle might have used it to eavesdrop on his guest to see what they were saying behind his back."

Laughing, Peter could easily imagine a Caffrey doing that. "Just don't get any ideas."

"Who's to say I haven't already? Do you have any idea how many uses a secret passage could come in handy for? There's at least one I'm planning to take advantage of…" Neal wiggled his eyebrows in humor. He was definitely going to throw a party once he had a better feel for the place and Mozzie was settled enough to make the arrangements.

"Neal…" Peter lowered his voice to a more serious register while sitting his coffee cup down. "You are not spying on us or any other guests. It's an invasion of privacy."

Losing his smile, Neal wasn't thrilled how quickly Peter redirected his behavior to criminal intent. "Forget it. You apparently have a one-track mind." Having finished his meal, Neal got up and tended his dishes in the kitchen before retreating to his room.

Finding the secret passage again, he knew he could retreat behind the walls for a while. Since Peter didn't know where he'd be, he could evade him for some time alone.

This time, Neal worked to remain as quiet as possible. He didn't want to alert Peter to his presence as he looked for the outlines and openings for doors. It turned out that each room seemed to have a connection allowing him to enter any room uninvited, but it also allowed access to his room for anyone of his choosing… or any of his friends who figured out where the doors were.

Having explored the general points for the hallway, he then found a ladder giving access to the next floor up. Mounting it, he followed it up to the top where he discovered a large A shaped attic full of dust, but generally a huge open space.

Walking about, he found walls and supports intended to help hold the roof. Otherwise, it was a large open space with only one other entrance he could find. It was locked so it wasn't something just anyone could use, and based on the dust, no one did anyway.

Looking around, he thought it could make a good base for him and Mozzie. It would need to be insulated to handle computers, the front entrance would need to ensure no one other than Mozzie had access, and he would either use the front or rear access for himself depending on the situation. Then some equipment and soundproofing to make sure none of the staff would hear anything would complete the space. He might not have a castle, but he could have something of his own space to retreat to once his radius was lifted. With another plan in mind, he knew he and Mozzie would have plenty to discuss once they were back in the city.

Going back down the ladder, he retraced his steps before walking into his bedroom and closed his door.

"I'm sorry, Neal." Peter's voice came from behind him.

Turning around, Neal found Peter sitting on his bed reading a book while he waited for him to come back out from the secret passage.

"It was single-minded to jump to the criminal conclusion, but we both know you aren't above coloring outside of the lines." Peter put the book down and sat up from where he had been reclined. "I've been thinking about what other options you could have meant, and I know another I don't like, but couldn't stop you from. If you choose to throw some kind of Halloween party or something in an effort to scare people, don't focus on Elizabeth. You may have noticed, but she doesn't like them."

Getting a brief smirk, Neal knew what Peter meant, but it still hurt how easily he expected criminal intent. "You've got me. It's too irresistible to pass up, but it will take time to learn the place and plan. I have noticed, and I don't intend to scare Elizabeth… but you did leave yourself as open game." A little spark reanimated his expression as he thought of that. He could leave Elizabeth alone, but Peter… Peter, he could have fun with.

Frowning, Peter looked at him silently. "I'm not easy to get. However, don't do anything like faking your death or pretending to get hurt. There's a reason I threaten to throw you into jail or complain about how much paperwork it would generate if anything happened to you, and it has nothing to do with the paperwork or the action of throwing you in jail."

Neal smiled more. "You've made it a challenge to scare you now."

With a sigh, Peter didn't entirely look pleased. He seemed to have achieved his goal in apologizing without making a big show of it, but he had also made himself a target to be scared by the most brilliant man he knew. It was also a given that Mozzie would help and the two would come up with something spectacular.

Getting up and clapping Neal on the shoulder, Peter joined him to head downstairs for meeting the others. They were having a light lunch before driving back to the city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, everyone, for reading, reviewing, following, choosing to favorite, and leaving kudos :D


	6. The Heritage

*******

Arriving at his other home in the loft, Neal reflected on how odd it was to have two homes. One was something of an ancestral abode designed for his long term comfort and full of heritage. The second was graciously provided by his landlady and friend where he had easy proximity to work while living close to his friends in the city. It was strange and a little surreal. He'd never had much of a home before, let alone two of them.

Unpacking was an easy job and Mozzie was soon along to discuss their adventure.

"I think Peter's on to me. My uncle had a notation in his journal that my name is Bryce Larkin. Peter found it before I did and made a comment, then he's been watching me funny at points ever since. So have Jones and Diana, despite their efforts to hide it." Neal confessed to his handler.

Nodding, Mozzie poured himself a drink. "I'll watch for any investigations, but is it really a bad thing if they find out?"

Blinking, that wasn't expected. "You don't mind?"

"It's not something we can come out and tell them, but since they happened upon the name in your uncle's journal, how should we know if they manage some off the books investigation? They're good agents for the FBI and might actually manage to slip past us if we're not careful." Mozzie sipped his drink in an effort to look innocent.

"In other words, you might just let them find out about me because they're my friends and you like them. What if they figure you out in the process, then what?" Neal tried to get a real reaction. Mozzie was being way too calm about all of this.

Putting his drink down in all seriousness, Mozzie surprised him. "Then what? It's not like they're going to go about blowing our covers or endangering our mission. Maybe they'll react a bit differently to some things, but that's not necessarily a bad thing."

Still not certain what to do with the NSA agent's relaxed approach to their friends learning their identities, Neal closed the topic with a request. "Just, be careful. I don't want them compromised into anything that's going to get them into trouble."

"If they find anything, it's only going to be the basics, Neal. I know we'd both like to be more open with the agents in ways, but it is in their best interest to stay away. Maybe we'll find a compromise yet, but I won't let them put themselves into danger." Mozzie answered in a more expected fashion as he finished the glass and poured himself another.

Relieved to hear the more normal reaction, Neal breathed out a soft sigh of relief.

Then it was time to approach the more exciting topic. "I want to throw a party! Peter's as much as challenged me to scare him and the secret passages open up ample opportunities to mess with guests. It will have to wait until we know the mansion, there is staff to manage the place, and plans can be made, but I want to work on this as we go."

Grinning deviously, Mozzie forgot to finish his action and left his glass halfway to his mouth. "You know, Diana had me thinking that too when she and Jones jumped out that first evening. Then the grandfather clocks chiming from some unknown locations… combine the atmosphere similar to what it is now with smoke, mirrors, and lighting, and we can really have people confused. Even Peter could be gotten in such an environment!" He was obviously thinking up the best plans he knew of from haunted houses, old movies, legendary ghost stories, and their past escapades to scare targets into distraction or submission.

"Just don't focus on Elizabeth. Peter said she's off limits both in general and for use against him, but we can throw about everything else we've got at him." Neal was glad to see the little man grab his sketches of the mansion and additional paper to begin jotting ideas while they discussed the building schematics in general.

*******

Working to get the mansion ready, Mozzie first picked his quarters. He set up a room to sleep in and for personal pleasure, while also taking the room next door for an office and sitting space of sorts. It gave him a base of operations to work from and a retreat for privacy.

Then his next focus was to prepare the attic for their joint base of operations. This required government sanction workers to ensure the space was secure and functional. Once it was finished, the space had a research station with advanced computers, a conference room for meetings with the boss, weapons armory, some training areas, an interrogation chamber, and a few holding cells just in case that were all soundproofed from staff or guest observations. It wasn't meant to be full use, but should someone attack, he and Neal could defend the place while retaining the perpetrator until the right officials could take possession. Otherwise, it made for a good landing spot for both Neal and himself through their careers and a safety net into retirement.

Although Mozzie had been slowly rehiring staff while the work progressed, its completion meant he could drop the guise of upgrading the roof structures and electrical to actually working on some of the more public areas of the home.

This meant installing security composed of a mixture of Orion's, Neal's, and his own influence while ensuring the power was sufficient to handle it off the grid. They didn't want any weak points some enemy could take advantage of.

Finally, with the secrets taken care of, Mozzie was able to complete the work of rehiring the staff and restoring full function to the estate.

*******

While the work was progressing, Neal made a trip out one weekend a month under the supervision of Peter with the official record of personal research as a part of his rehabilitation.

Jones, Diana, Elizabeth, and June often accompanied them on the trips providing they were free to join. Their curiosity about the mysterious mansion, the creative projects adding life, and the general fun were universal draws while Elizabeth had the addition of a semi-secluded get away with her husband.

Making slow progress, Neal had reorganized the master suite to suit his personal preferences. New bedding and a mattress customized his sleeping arrangements. The clothing was mostly donated while Neal kept a few things such as the silk robe monogrammed with a C. Then he went about building up a second wardrobe so he wouldn't need to pack back and forth. Otherwise, he only rearranged the furniture to set differently in the room and ensured it had a thorough clean since it hadn't been occupied in a while.

Working to make the mansion more appealing to his guests, Neal allowed them to shift paintings and furniture changing the setups from one room to another until they had each chosen "their" room and modified it to their preferences.

In addition, Neal took their suggestions for ways to make use of the empty spaces in several unused rooms. Diana helped plan an in house gym, Peter set up a hoop in the large room used for indoor sports, and Jones finally found the pool behind several fake doors. June advised on adjustments for the music room before teaming up with Elizabeth to organize a home theatre with a stage for small plays as previously mentioned. This led to Mozzie insisting on gardens for the more stressed guests to retreat to. Elizabeth also got to be designer and arrange the furniture to fill more of the spaces while making suggested of things Neal might want to acquire... Legally, of course. Finally, to appease Peter's longing stares out at the expansive lawns, Neal allowed a small baseball diamond to be set out by the tennis court.

Without the others knowing, Neal also made the personal additions of a gaming room and shooting range in the basement for personal and professional uses.

Satisfied, he knew the mansion would be a fond retreat for all of his friends and their friends also.

Although the extensive projects took time and a great deal of work, Neal had willing hands in his friends, government support to build the professional portions, staff to help with some of the work, his own artistic skills, and contractors for anything remaining. By breaking it down and doing the majority themselves, Neal was able to keep his guests occupied while he researched and minimized expenses to prevent overspending his general budget.

On those weekends they didn't travel out to the mansion, Neal built furniture and painted to fill the needs of his home, Mozzie brought him boxes of his uncle's possessions to go through, and he fine-tuned plans for how to proceed with the latest projects.

Although the two also managed to maintain the minimum presence necessary for their criminal roles, they were so focused on the mansion that the FBI breathed easier figuring them occupied in more legal pursuits.

It was a long and slow progress, but the mansion continued to be mapped as rooms were explored, its contents cataloged and organized, and things began to take shape in Neal's residence instead of his uncle's.

*******

As Neal researched into his family history, he set up shelves in the office to contain his findings. Photos were collected before being organized into albums, the journals his uncle kept over his lifetime were lined up on a shelf, letters referencing anything were set into books, the government of Ireland was contacted, and one communication was exchanged with his mother through the Marshals to gain any knowledge she had before the Marshals also turned over some family records that were maintained due to his Wit-sec past. Combined, this gave him a fair picture into his Caffrey history while also secluding a hidden space behind for the Bennet family history.

His Caffrey heritage had once been nobility, but ancient wars reduced them to common farmers. Although most weren't overly educated, local records in Ireland followed their descent through history with notations on their reputation to be clever and efficient workers. Then when his great-uncle was young, they immigrated to the US where opportunities allowed his uncle to prosper.

Having learned more about his direct line, Neal discovered his great-grandfather's history too. The man had worked in the docks like his older brother, but the trade didn't suit him as well. Instead, Alby Caffrey had left the docks as a young adult to go into police work. There he climbed the ranks to be a detective and worked in tandem with his brother to keep crime down on the docks. Along the way, the man had courted and married a local businessman's daughter. Duvessa was a beautiful Irish lass with a singing voice like the angels according to an old letter. The couple had several children, the youngest was Neal's grandfather. Eventually, the police work caught up with Alby and he died in the field just short of retirement while his wife died a few years later.

Moving to the next generation, Neal's grandfather, Fergus Caffrey, had followed in the business side of the family. He learned photography and eventually set up shop in the city. Selling photos to the newspapers, taking family photos for locals and tourists alike, along with giving lessons to aspiring artist made the bills in a growing industry. To supplement his income, he also learned to paint and sold originals of famous sights on the side. His name didn't make the history books, but he was a talented artist who made the local interest. It was later in his life before he met and married Fiona. Their home was a happy one, but only a daughter was born to them. Living to see her married, they passed before Neal was born.

Intrigued, Neal enjoyed learning about his mother. Colleen Caffrey had been spoilt by her parents who were almost like grandparents. She was a good student, involved in all the arts, and passionate in her zest for life. In college, she took business courses in Washington DC but didn't appear to be serious about her future. After graduating, she met and married James Bennett. Their marriage started out happy as she was a secretary and he worked the force advancing through the ranks of the local police department. After a few years, Neal was born and his mother quit to be a full-time mom and wife. That's when things started to change. The bills grew larger, but the income had been reduced to just his. James started working more hours and pushing for advancement when positions became available. As this wasn't keeping up with the expenses a small child brings, he broadened into less legal endeavors. Being caught by his corrupt boss the first time, he was quick to escalate into working with the local mob. Eventually, this was discovered, he was arrested for murdering said boss, the Bennetts divorced, and the family was never the same.

Neal knew his mother had gone by Brooks in St Louis when he grew up as Danny, but as Ellen was now in New York City out on the island, he didn't know if things had also changed for his mother or not. His father...he only knew that James had gone into States Evidence, nothing after that.

Before though, from those earliest years of his childhood, Neal had a few stories about his father courtesy of his mother and Ellen. Most were general, like a special date his parents had gone on, or a case Ellen remembered from before he was corrupted. A few stories were about basic family outings or his habits on a stakeout. There was one though, one story Neal made sure to note himself. It was a story about his father having taken him into the precinct on an off day to fill out some paperwork and show off his boy to the rest of the force.

For a while, James had gone through the necessary task with Neal staring curiously about them. Then when he was finished, he took Neal for a tour showing him off as they went and introducing the kid to any available staff member. Neal loved the story for two reasons. First, it denoted a father's pride in his son indicating his father cared about him at some point, but the second part amused the spark of mischief that had never gone away. At one point while James had been talking to some officer by the exit doors, Neal managed to slip away unnoticed. Having no direct memory if it himself, Neal assumed he was fascinated with the chief's hat. Because, after a scrambled search where the entire precinct struggled to find one tiny two year old, Neal was found wearing the hat and sitting in the chief's chair pretending to drive s police cruiser while making vroom vroom car sounds with his mouth and holding his hands up in a driving fashion. Someone thought he was cute enough to take a picture, something the Marshals had given him along with the old family photo albums.

Research hadn't been as productive on the Bennett side.

James had been an above average student, but not an excellent one. His shining point was athletics with a focus on the track field. He could run!

The Bennetts were centered around Washington DC so James had grown up in a suburb making him something of a local boy. His parents were elderly living in a senior center their while his brother had gone into selling insurance. Although the relatives were living, they had disowned James when he was arrested and made no attempt to contact the rest of the family before they went into government protection. With this in mind, Neal hadn't bothered contacting them as they wouldn't want to meet Neal Caffrey and he couldn't introduce himself as agent Bryce Larkin.

Beyond that, Neal only found a few names of people who could be related, but he had no way of telling for sure. Still, it was a great deal more of his family history than he had grown up with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, everyone, for reading, reviewing, leaving kudos, following, and choosing to favorite :D


	7. The Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, this chapter begins the pranks and scares. Nothing is real and things are partially explained in theory (Neal and Mozzie are smarter than I am so I can't fully answer how they do this, not even in a later chapter when they detail things a little more themselves).

*******

Peter's research was also challenging and productive.

Following the line that Bryce Larkin had come up in association with being an alias of Neal's, he could safely research it under the guise of not seeking the CIA agent who's government employment status had popped up.

The records were very basic giving a physical description of dark haired and blue eyed, mentioning him as a national hero with many commendations from his superiors, and the ranks of Agent in Charge of a blacked out project and Intelligence Officer for black ops. Further digging showed him trained in combat and a weapons expert with hints to other unmentioned abilities. Finally, the information indicated him dead by betrayal. With nothing else to find there without raising flags, Peter turned to the civilian searches.

This brought up a story about a Connecticut boy who was nerdy into video games and comics. Growing up, he went off to college at Stanford where he majored in computer engineering and accounting. His best friend was Charles Bartowski who he roomed with at their fraternity until senior year when Bryce got the man expelled for cheating. After that, Bryce was noted to have moved to Washington DC where he was killed as an accountant in a bank robbery. Even the obituary had the image blocked, but the general descriptions of the man also matched the dark haired and blue eyed Neal Caffrey.

Although Diana hadn't been able to acquire a picture, she had gotten rumors of Larkin being alive while Jones's system found hints to him being on assignment in New York City with Agent Theo Winters.

Researching Winters brought up very little. His employee file had no image, no description, notes indicating him as an invaluable asset, and a vague reference to a long term undercover mission.

Their theory of Neal being the agent hadn't been disproven, but if he was Bryce and Mozzie was Winters, they had a fascinating glimpse into Neal's past and many questions about Mozzie.

*******

As the time drew nearer for the party, Neal skipped one of his monthly visits to keep the others away. Mozzie was transitioning into decorating and they didn't want any of their work spoiled by sneak peeks.

Aiding with the work from afar, Neal either took virtual tours adding his input for the mansion decor, or he helped Mozzie create pieces in the loft to be smuggled out upon completion.

This meant Neal would have to shove a sketch under his folders at work if an idea struck and someone was too close, his laptop being abruptly closed at home cutting Mozzie off to prevent an entering guest from hearing something, and creative means of evasion in the loft. Sometimes a jacket contained something tiny in the pocket, or a painting had a false front that peeled off to reveal the true content. Mozzie even had to carry some projects out in oddball pieces to hide the full function.

Then considering the intended victims' new strategy of randomly approaching him or visiting in the hopes of gaining glances, Neal had to be creative in his efforts while the others endeavored to counter his measures so the games continued to grow more complex.

While interviewing staff for the catering, Mozzie had four people run through his applications that stood out. One had been a Benihana chef and although not the most successful at the trade, he showed enthusiasm and was able to pass muster. He was of small stature and guaranteed that his beard would in no way affect his cooking or violate any health codes. Another was a big militaristic guy who applied for manning the grilling table. This one was short on the conversation but appeared to love the flames. The third was a blonde bombshell who would participate in the waiting staff. She was stealthy and graceful so she'd manage to serve even around jittery victims of a haunted house. Finally, the fourth was going to DJ with his computer skills and music preferences. As the leader of the infiltrating operatives, he was mild-mannered and friendly, mousey, much like his curly hair color.

Notifying Neal of their presence, Mozzie waited for his approval before hiring the team. They thought they had gotten past him with their good, but fake, backgrounds so he didn't burst their bubble and maintained his oblivious appearance.

Progressing as before, Mozzie had the new task of working around their snooping employees, but as they were going to end up guests, he worked it out for the fun of getting them too. By investigating Neal Caffrey on behalf of some concerned party, they volunteered to be brought in for the fun.

*******

When the weekend finally came, Neal instructed the entire FBI team that they were welcome to come to a party at his place in celebration of the mansion work being completed while his investigation into his family heritage was probably about as far as it was going to get. Accepting, the team was curious to see it, experience the completed project, and eager to climax the particular battle of wits they'd been engaged in.

Peter arranged the carpooling to take Neal and June, while Jones and Diana were making up another car with other team members. The rest of the guests divided up and even Hughes accepted the invitation to bring his wife up for the weekend along with an agent or two who still needed a ride.

With everyone ready, it became a team-wide countdown while the rumors buzzed as to what kind of party Neal Caffrey would throw in an effort to scare a bunch of FBI agents.

*******

Pulling up in front of the mansion, Peter was immediately on the lookout for hidden traps or things popping out at him. The front looked normal, about like it had that first day they drove up, only with the changes Neal had made in place. However, there was a charge to the atmosphere, like it was rife with something undefinable. Writing it off as the coming storm, Peter shook his head that even the weather was working in Caffrey's favor.

Unloading the luggage up to their respective rooms, the group wondered if Neal had dug secret tunnels, or if they had come with the place. Despite being dropped off outside the grounds, he wasn't far behind them and popped up in the hallway wearing a costume and voice changer.

"What is with all the extra stuff? We all know it's you, or is that a part of the effect?" Peter tried to get a feel for what Neal had in mind.

"This is the initial costume, but I have many planned." Neal vaguely hinted before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Blinking in surprise, even Peter was impressed at how smoothly Neal had pulled the disappearing act off. "I wonder if we can get him to show us he did that..."

"Nice try, but that's not happening, Peter." A tiny voice whispered in Peter's ear.

Turning around and poking a finger in his ear, Peter tried to figure out how the trick was done.

"What's wrong Peter, did a bug fly by you?" Elizabeth asked curiously. She was too amused to be scared and she trusted Neal not to hurt them.

"You didn't hear that? Neal told me nice try, but he isn't going to share how he did the disappearing trick." Peter looked at June and Elizabeth in wonder as they shook their heads negatively, they hadn't heard Neal. "That's another trick he's got going I guess."

Pondering the beginnings of mysteries, the three went to their rooms to put on costumes in preparation for the party.

Over the following hour, the rest of the guests arrived and Mozzie hosted them to their rooms and gave instructions. Those who asked about Neal were told they'd see him throughout the evening, but he was making his own preparations.

*******

At the appointed time, a gong sounded through the hallways. All the occupants had been sitting around waiting, but the beginning wasn't exactly something they expected.

"Welcome to my mansion. Tonight we have thirty-four contestants who have accepted the challenge of being scared before the evening is out. You are free to move about at will with only a few exceptions made to your access. These areas are either private to my house guests and manager, myself, or they would put you in the way of the catering staff. The doors are locked to private areas and the kitchen area has signs for your awareness. There are food and drinks being served in the dining room so pass through for a drink or sit down to eat. To avoid choking, the dining room is a safe zone with a DJ for entertainment. I have promised not to create anything that will endanger anyone or to pretend anyone is at risk. Otherwise, no space and no gimmick has been restricted so wander at your own risk..." At the conclusion, every door swung open seemingly unaided and the guest were directed to begin exploring.

Shivering into Peter's side, Elizabeth grinned up at him. "Let me guess, another gimmick he has to explain?"

"Only the beginning of many I presume." Peter huffed before escorting her out into the house.

"Am I beginning to scare you yet?" The voice spoke in Peter's ear, but again, he couldn't find the source.

"More like annoying me..." Peter answered.

"Neal and the voice again?" Elizabeth asked noticing his odd behavior.

"Yes, he's taking the challenge to scare me personal. I don't know how he's doing it, but he appears to have something up his sleeve." Peter frowned. If Neal was going to keep pulling out all the stops like this, he needed to be on his guard.

"He hasn't tried it on me," Elizabeth commented.

Kissing her on the head as they walked towards a back stairwell, Peter explained his conversation with Neal.

"I'm off limits? Then why am I in the numbers, he said thirty-four were volunteers?" Elizabeth wondered while they walked down the stairs.

"That is a good question. The numbers he stated don't match up with the numbers of the team with or without you. He must be planning on spooking specific staff?" Peter added to her speculation. If El didn't count, who did in her place?

"Perhaps some of them love haunted houses so he's letting them in on the fun," Elizabeth surmised.

For lack of a better theory, Peter accepted it hoping she was right. Neal wouldn't be a nice boss if he subjected anyone to this against their will.

A scream echoed down the hall causing both Burkes to jump, startled by the abrupt noise.

"It sounds like Neal and Mozzie have their first victim. I wonder who it is?" Elizabeth commented as she leaned into Peter holding his arm tighter.

"I think that was the team secretary. She's terrified of rats and Mozzie has a pet one named Percy. That was probably an easy one for them considering the combination. Still, I doubt she'll ever want to visit here again after a stunt like that." Peter held his wife's hand while explaining away the most likely cause based on the voice, team awareness of her fear, and Mozzie's pet.

Continuing down the stairs, they made it to the dining room safely where Elizabeth intended to remain with a few others who had joined their spouses but weren't keen on participating in the challenge themselves.

Taking a little time to get a drink and munch a snack, Peter investigated possible outcomes to expect by questioning the others as to what they'd seen.

His theory about the scream proved correct. Their poor secretary remained seated with her feet up on a chair while taking a drink with both hands. She was trembling while glaring at the wall. Another member of the team was explaining to her how Mozzie had Percy and wasn't above using his pet for ulterior motives. There wasn't likely to be permanent damage, but Neal was going to be in for some frigid treatment if he wasn't careful.

Another agent hadn't screamed, but Price looked paler than usual. Pulling up a seat, Peter asked him about his experience.

"My family comes from England so my parents always told me the goblins were going to get me if I didn't brush my teeth, or the fairies were going to knot my hair at night if my chores weren't done, and other general tales to motivate me to do whatever they asked. As an adult I know they're generally mythical creatures... But what Caffrey and his little friend did up there had me second guessing myself long enough for him to get me." Shuddering slightly, the agent picked the story up again. "I walked out of my room like everyone else probably did and started down the hall. Along the way, I paused to look at one of his copies of my favorite painting. Whether it was intentionally placed or a coincidence beats me. While I was looking at the picture, the others continued on down here and I was alone before I realized it. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something dart a crossed the hall. It looked like a child, but to my knowledge, it's only adults here so it made me curious. Turning to pay more attention, I only caught a blur as the thing moved behind me. Now I know Caffrey is brilliant and nothing is likely to be real, but knowing it and keeping my imagination under control are apparently two different things because those old stories and everything I've ever heard or seen about mythological creatures floated through my mind. With the additional ammunition, I saw the creepiest little monster I've ever had nightmares about speed past me to disappear in a burst of glitter into the wall. Being an agent, I investigated the evidence left behind."

Intrigued, Peter asked, "What did you find?"

"Gold glitter. It wasn't the stuff you buy in a store though, it was soft and sparkly like nothing I've encountered before. That got me to thinking. Nothing moves that fast so it must be a trick with lights and a triggered powder set to explode from the wall when the lights hit it." The agent hadn't gotten to what scared him yet.

Leaning forwards, Peter was eager to hear the answer because Price wasn't one to be easily fooled so it had to be good.

"Then the little beast pushed me from behind. It had real hands and I could hear breathing as it ran away laughing. The voice... Was eerie and I can only explain it as evil sounding. Before I could regain my balance, it was back and knocked me over. Not wanting to remain down while something messed with me, I instinctually got up and hurried down here. Whatever Caffrey used, even if he got an actor to help, that was just weird and unnerving!" Price shivered at the recollection before warning Peter to be careful.

Getting a little worried as he moved on, Peter realized they were pulling out all the stops more than he imagined and probably borrowing or hiring too in order to pull all this off.

The sounds of loud footsteps running had everyone turning towards the door. Then one of the agents came around the corner breathing hard and shaking in her alien costume. She was one of the ones who had gone all out intending to enjoy the challenge while having some fun. Her costume choice seemed to have backfired though based on the story they slowly pulled out of her as she calmed down.

Running it through his head, Peter knew Neal had to have changed out her costume in the office in order to have it rigged, but how exactly did he make it levitate off the floor? She had been walking down the hall when a light showed down on her from the ceiling, but not from a regular light. There wasn't anything visible to project it as far as she could tell. The first thing she noticed moving was the headgear standing up straighter before the loose pieces of material followed. Then her whole body started lifting up after causing her to kick in mid-air. Considering the hoarse quality to her voice, she'd probably screamed a lot but was far enough away the main group hadn't heard her. Finally, after she panicked not knowing how to get down, she was lowered to the floor and immediately raced to the safe room. Vague directions were the best anyone could get as she refused to leave the space to show them where it had happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, everyone, for reading, reviewing, and leaving kudos :D


	8. The Scare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can guess, the scares continue this week but it's Peter's turn ;)

*******

Deciding to chance the unknown, Peter started walking out into the hallways surrounding the safe area. It gave him the chance to look for trap and to actually see other victims get scared rather than just hear about the events after the fact.

Observing a blonde waitress from a shadowed nook, he noticed her nervous glances as she kept checking around her. She seemed uncomfortable and paranoid like she was being watched but couldn't identify the source. Since she was already looking about when she reached Peter's line of sight, he surmised it had preceded him taking up residence in his corner. Then as he watched, as a bunch of eyes opened in the wood behind her while the pupils followed her movement as she walked by. When she turned towards them, they closed so she remained unaware of the source of the sense.

Shuddering, Peter knew her 'thing' was being watched by an unknown source. This wasn't the clichéd eyes through a painting though, it was more subtle and elaborate. Something even an experienced agent could be chilled by.

Not envying the poor staff member being subjected to that, Peter chose to move on to another location and see what he saw there.

Taking a seat on the back stairs, he was out of the way, but he could clearly see the staff move about with their work. Most of them seemed to be unaffected by the haunted house of horror Neal and Mozzie had created, but one, the chef seemed aware. The little guy was of short stature and seemed a bit too hairy for kitchen work. Still, it wasn't either of those details that brought him to attention.

Watching him move about and disappear only to return with supplies, Peter noticed the man had an odd habit of looking over his shoulder like he was being followed. Then the next time he left, Peter watched his shadow and noticed that something was indeed following the fellow. It was undefinable. Whatever it was, it was dark and seemed to glide in the shadows contorting to whatever obstacle it could use to avoid obvious detection. The flexibility of the thing was inhuman.

Did they get some kind of flexible contortionist or did Mozzie know someone with a robot they could borrow?

Throwing an onion at the shadow, the bearded gnome seemed to recognize where his stalker was, but when it separated allowing the onion to harmlessly pass through, even Peter got a nervous shiver up his spine that something was wrong.

He had to admire the little guy though, he didn't drop his load or scream, but he certainly walked very quickly back to the safety of numbers in the kitchen.

Only one other staff member in the kitchen seemed to be having issues. A large man working to cook food over a grill seemed to be looking around in a disturbed fashion. The frown on his face indicated something was bothering him, but whether it was his natural state or something being done to him was hard to tell. After a while, he took a break and seemed to retreat down the hall towards the basement.

Following, it wasn't against the rules for Peter to interfere with their breaks, Peter tried to get a better feel for the man. He pursued him through the hallways, down the stairs, and into the basement. A few more turns and the man opened a door into something akin to a shooting range. Suddenly, the space came alive with tiny drone like machines flying about and pointing lasers at the man.

Ducking at first, the man had something of a military or law enforcement reaction to go for his gun. Instead of finding a typical weapon though, he drew a gun to fire lasers at the devices. He hit the first one directly causing it to power off and lower to the ground easily enough. Each of the following ones got consecutively harder until he had to fire three times to ground the last one. Grunting, he seemed to appreciate the challenge before returning to his duties.

Letting him pass while remaining undetected, Peter knew there were several things wrong with that one. Why was he armed with what he expected to be a real gun, and why was he made to feel the need to draw it? Asking Neal through whatever he'd used earlier, Peter wondered if he was still connected to get a response.

"The colonel doesn't count. He'd be bored by anything less." Neal answered in his head again.

"Colonel, huh. Could that be a colonel Casey?" Peter wondered.

"It could be..." Neal hedged without confirming. "Do you know a Colonel Casey, Peter?"

"No, I don't, but I think you do, and I think that was him. Why would you tweak someone like him anyway?" Peter wondered as he walked back towards the main area to see if anyone had been gotten from further out.

"It's not tweaking him to give him a game. We are trying to scare everyone, but not everyone can be scared in the same way." Mozzie answered.

"Where'd Neal go?" Peter asked to get a feeling for whether Neal was going after him or was occupied with someone else.

"He had to go, suit. Now I will leave you as well... beware though, he hasn't even started on you yet." With that cryptic warning, everything went silent and Peter was left in the hallway alone.

Shaking off the creepy feeling he felt sneak up his spine, Peter tried not to be affected.

*******

Returning to the dining room, he found Hughes and his wife sitting with Elizabeth laughing over their experience.

"I think he went easy on us. We only opened two doors that came together and were startled to see the other." Mrs. Hughes explained why they were gotten, but not shaking from fear.

"Does anyone know why the DJ is so pale?" Hughes asked.

"He grabbed one of the waitresses, the blonde one over there," Elizabeth directed their attention to the one Peter had seen being followed by eyes, "and said he saw Bryce's ghost. Then he commented about wondering how Neal knew about that." Turning towards Peter, she asked if he knew anything about it.

"Maybe. I think Bryce is another name for Neal, but nothing has been confirmed yet." Peter watched the people moving around him but noticed the absence of Jones and Diana.

"Jones is trying to find the secret passage Neal used to get him while Diana is sneaking around trying to avoid being gotten," Hughes answered his obvious question. "I think Diana is going to be gotten with the prank that never comes. She's so wound up about what he might do." There was a chuckle to his voice as he was glad he wasn't one Neal particularly targeted.

"I heard another one of the wives walked into a closet looking for the secret lever only to find herself locked in. Then the secret panel popped open suddenly with a creak as it swung. She got the sense that she wasn't alone in the room, but she couldn't get out of the door and everything appeared to be dark and creepy. Once she started to react, the door opened allowing her out so she retreated back here." Elizabeth regaled them with another tale of terror Neal had created with his haunted house of horror. She was shivering as she imagined the fear the harmless situation created. It was likely Neal or Mozzie hiding in the shadows to run the remotes, but it was still reminiscent of the creepy feeling anyone feels walking into a strange space in the dark with an unknown presence lurking nearby.

Spending a little time with his wife, Peter enjoyed hearing the humorous stories, but the more elaborate ones had him worried. Neal was particularly endeavoring to get him, how far would he go to do so?

*******

Eventually, Peter decided to test his luck and wonder out into the hallways again. He didn't take a particular direction and hoped his random path would make him more challenging.

Turning a corner, a clown popped out making him jump. It was attached to a trip wire under the rug so he'd set it off as he walked.

Although his heart beat faster for a second, it didn't do much to him. His training was to handle surprises so it would take more than that to really scare him.

Continuing through the hallways, he circled out farther and noticed that nothing was being done to him. Was he the one being gotten with the prank to never come?

He reached one of the third-floor hallways above the master bedroom and office area. If Neal was going to get him, this was the place to do it.

Taking a seat and watching the hallway, he waited to see what Neal would do.

For a while, nothing seemed to be happening. Then he noticed something shimmering on the air. There was a presence in the space, but what had Neal done to create it?

Getting up for a closer look, Peter slowly moved so he wouldn't miss it.

"Hello, are you here for the part my nephew is throwing?" A shimmering image of Neal's uncle glanced over from where he was admiring a picture on the wall. "He's gotten into the spirit of the house. I used to throw the most spectacular parties..."

Looking the man up and down, Peter couldn't find an obvious source for the projection.

The image frowned. "Are you alright? You haven't been drinking, have you?"

Almost feeling rude, Peter didn't answer. The voice was actually emanating from the space in front of him. There wasn't the glow of a projection line, no sound trail to speakers, and when he "accidentally" happened to run his hand through the fellow, his hand passed through the apparition. Feeling a shiver run up his spine, he had no idea how Neal and Mozzie pulled this one off.

Facing Peter, Caffrey simply sniffed the air before muttering to himself, "no alcohol..." Raising his voice, he addressed Peter more directly, "You don't believe in ghosts, do you?"

"No, I don't. Especially not when Neal is determined to scare me and has been pulling elaborate hoaxes all night." Peter hoped Neal heard him. He wasn't scared.

Chuckling, the apparition was amused. "You believe I'm just another elaborate hoax, do you?"

"Yes." Peter was fairly certain. Only a small portion of his brain was questioning the situation. He couldn't explain how this was pulled off, but it had to be a hoax, hadn't it?

Grinning deviously, the apparition walked right through Peter!

The air was cool instead of the warmth Peter expected. He didn't hear a hum indicating something running the image. How were they doing it? Then the feeling of something tapping on his shoulder made him turn around.

"How could they pass through you, tap on your shoulder, and not have any distinguishable trace of technology?" Connal Caffrey smiled right into Peter's face.

Stepping back, Peter was relieved when he blinked and couldn't see the apparition anymore. He couldn't explain what he'd seen and he certainly didn't want to see it again. The encounter had left him with a disturbing feeling like things weren't right which made him question if maybe, just maybe, there had been something real to that.

Finding the nearest stairwell back down, Peter rejoined the others in the dining room. Taking his seat next to his wife, he distracted himself with June's presence.

June was dressed as elegantly as ever, but the way she kept checking herself over indicated that she'd been gotten as surely as everyone else.

"How'd they get you?" Peter engaged her in conversation to avoid answering his wife's concerned glance.

"I dislike ladybugs, even if they're gentlemen" June answered with an expression daring him to question her irrational fear.

"What did they do?" Peter didn't bother upsetting her any further, even though he wondered what could be wrong with something as innocuous as a ladybug.

"I've had the little beasts crawling on me off and on all evening! This is the only room I've been safe from them so I've retreated here." She explained.

"You've still got the crawling feeling though, don't you? You've been checking yourself over every few minutes." Elizabeth observed.

"That's what's bothering me. Those two have gotten in my head. I've never told either one about when I was a little girl. You see, one landed on me once and my mother was telling me about how beautiful it looked with its shiny red she'll and jet black spots. However, something pinched me awful hard and I screamed that it bit me. Ever since then... What I don't get is how they knew!" She was flustered and not amused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, everyone, for reading, reviewing, following, leaving kudos, and choosing to favorite :D


	9. The Explanations

*******

Walking in and causing all conversations to stop, Mozzie made his appearance with a tall fellow dressed in a crazy hair wig. He resembled Einstein right down to his clothes and wrinkled face. Neal was wearing another get up.

Waving his hands for attention before taking a bow, Einstein smiled at his guests. "Every single one of you has been well and truly gotten. Now, so you can sleep, I will be explaining an element of what transpired here this evening."

Giving their full attention, the audience lowered drinks and forgot food as they were too interested to be bothered by anything other than the coming explanations.

Looking to June, Einstein got started. "Mrs. Elington here has asked some good questions. First, you've been observed evading the harmless visitors giving your fear away. Second, those were tiny drones so you were never in any danger. Third, we've refitted them as a present. Now they're gossamer butterflies that will flit about your ceiling before returning to their charging pad at a preprogrammed battery setting. I'm sure your granddaughter will enjoy watching them with you on her next visit." Einstein stepped forward to give her a neatly wrapped little present.

Kissing his cheek, June showed forgiveness and appreciation for the kind gesture to her and her granddaughter.

"Many of the pranks were obvious being Mozzie's pet Percy, one or the other of us in costumes making use of the secret passageways, or things like the double doors." Einstein gave a general description for many of the hoaxes and pranks together to make the process more simplified.

"As for our alien encounter, you shouldn't have left your costume unattended in the office. It was too easy to replace it. How we elevated you though, I will not explain as it was too much fun." After several complaints of curiosity were voiced, he gave in slightly. "Alright, think along the lines of miniaturized hovercraft and electromagnetic technology merged."

Raising his hand, Price asked about his encounter with the little monster in the hallway.

"There are times where Mozzie and I have needed someone small and fast to enter spaces or to distract people while we accomplish our endeavors. Mozzie worked with a friend to create a robot with capabilities to serve our purposes. This time, scaring the FBI was probably the most fun time we've had with it." Einstein shrugged as he vaguely explained the abilities of the robot to remain low to the ground and move fast for the physical aspects while light projections were used for some of the less realistic actions.

Then looking like he was trying to end the discussion, Einstein started to dismiss the general catering staff for the night as the meal had been eaten and the remnants cleared while he talked so their service was no longer needed. As for his guests, he gave them the freedom to explore the property without fear as the scare mechanisms were turned off. Wishing them all a good night, he tried to evade the remaining caterers who had refused to leave along with the Burkes, Jones, and Diana who particularly wanted answers.

"How did you know about my friend?" The curly haired DJ asked as he grabbed Einstein's arm when he passed.

"My birth name is Neal Bennett. My mother is a Caffrey which is how I'm related by blood. However, going into Wit-sec as a child means I've never shown the full picture of who I am to anyone." Neal removed the arm of his costume from the puzzled man's grasp before slipping off to bed with a wish goodnight.

Addressing the only people left seated, Mozzie invited the Burkes, Jones, Diana, and the four mysterious catering staff who remained to retire to their rooms. "Who is Neal Caffrey, really? You are the answers to each other's mysteries and neither of your investigations is complete. Tomorrow, after the other guests have left, you can complete both agendas… if you don't manage on your own before then." Then he was gone in a puff of smoke worthy of the greatest magician.

"Apparently they aren't done with us, just the rest of the guests." The blonde waitress observed.

"I've noticed that they went after each of you, but not any of the other staff. Do you know why?" Peter asked the strangers who were also sitting about the table with them.

Taking the lead, the curly-haired fellow spoke for the others. "No, we don't know anything about Neal Caffrey."

Continuing to question the man, Peter asked, "You seem the most shaken despite what he got the others with. How did they get you?"

Shivering, the man seemed reluctant to go into specifics, but he shared the most basic of details. "I'm pretty sure I saw the ghost of an old friend."

Instinctively, Peter blurted, "You wouldn't happen to be Chuck Bartowski by any chance?"

Startled, the man seemed to be caught completely by surprise while the rest of the group with him got wary expressions.

"I am, but how do you know that?" Chuck leaned closer to Peter in curiosity.

"Mozzie said we were the answers to each other's investigations. That means someone hired you to investigate Neal Caffrey which we know, while we had a name noted to be his legal name cross our records recently so we are curious about him in return. Your name came up in my research." Peter explained while watching Chuck's reaction.

Brightening up, Chuck seemed to be catching up. "What is that legal name?"

"Bryce, Bryce Larkin," Peter answered seeing the knowing happiness light up the other man's face.

"He's not dead again! That explains what happened in the hallway too. I passed him, and he… he just acknowledged me vaguely like we were still in college and none of the other stuff has happened since." Chuck crowed excitedly, he was glad to discover his friend was still alive.

"To confirm they're the same person, do you have a picture of Bryce? I have one of Neal." Peter moved to retrieve his picture while Chuck thought for a moment.

"Ah, yes. After we figured out everything, I uploaded a picture of him from our college days." Chuck started messing with his phone.

Once they were ready, the two exchanged phones showing each other the image they wished to see, the confirmation that Neal Caffrey was also Bryce Larkin, the legendary CIA agent.

With the proof in hand, they passed the images around to anyone from their team who was interested before ultimately passing the phones back to their respective owners.

"What is this about Bryce Larkin? Elizabeth asked her husband. "You haven't mentioned anything about it."

"It's another name for Neal. Apparently, his birth name is Neal Bennett, Caffrey is from his mother's side of the family, but for some reason, he went into Wit-sec and his legal name is Bryce Larkin. He's a CIA agent who appears to be on some kind of loaner assignment. The best we can guess is it has something to do with his family as he's using a name so close to his birth name while being allowed to be here despite the conflicting purposes between our agencies. Since rumors create him to be quite the legend with a lot of secrecy, I didn't want to get you too close to the potential repercussions if we got in trouble for researching." Peter summarized their discoveries and his reasoning for keeping his wife out of the picture in an aside.

"That explains why we were hired to verify the information about Neal. There are those who question whether he's really a Caffrey, while others fear what he may do with the inheritance. Now we can honestly reassure them that he won't be up to funny business, not of the criminal variety anyway." Chuck grinned much more relaxed. Knowing he had seen his friend alive and well eased his fears.

Then after a few moments, Chuck got a devious grin. "You know what, now that we both know Neal is Bryce, I say we try to turn the tables. He probably has the place rigged with surveillance in order to pull all this off and to always know where we were and what we were doing. However, that also means there's a surveillance system just sitting there, waiting for us to make use of it in return. What do you say to figuring out a way to scare him back? It won't be easy, but I think we can manage to surprise him at the very least!"

The devious grins slowly spread around the table as everyone decided they liked the idea of the plan.

"How would we do that?" Peter leaned forward mirroring Chuck as they started sharing ideas and ways to pull it off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, everyone, for reading, reviewing, choosing to favorite, following my stories and I, and leaving kudos :D
> 
> It was mentioned in a review that Matt's family history has some similarities to Caffrey's here, that's a total coincidence as I haven't researched any of the actors' real lives to intentionally reference anything.


	10. The Revenge

*******

Waking up the next morning, Neal rubbed his eyes and stretched. It was going to be an interesting day as Chuck and Peter worked together to go after him with the help of their teams. What were they going to do to scare him?

He had been listening through the drone he kept near Peter. It was designed for silent technology with strong projectors for light and sound which made it perfect for keeping track of him and communicating with the agent. Using them in mass was how he created the ghostly effect of his great-uncle haunting the hallway, but of course, he wasn't going to tell Peter that if he could help it.

Sitting up, he quickly realized something was wrong. He wasn't in his room!

They had somehow managed to knock him out and move him to another room in the house. "Probably had Casey tranquilize me in revenge." He muttered as he started to climb out of the bed cautiously. Whatever they were up to, he expected they had put it together quickly, but he also knew the brilliance the group had would be daunting.

Checking for his phone, he found it lying on a dressing table, but his access to the house security had been cut off so he couldn't spy on them. "Chuck," he knew exactly who had hacked his systems and locked him out.

Moving back to the bed, he sat down and tried to hack his way back in. Of course, his friend had set some kind of rolling code into his lock so it would take time to crack it. Sighing, he remembered the annoyance of the family. They were geniuses and well versed in programming. He could generally hold his own with them, but sometimes he got left behind a bit. Unfortunately, this proved to be one of those times. Chuck knew he loved rolling codes for his own security, but hated hacking them.

"Can say I hate you, Chuck?" He asked the air knowing they were watching him. "You know I don't like hacking rolling codes as any good one changes before my hacking algorithms can figure it out."

Hearing laughter echo through his security system, he knew Chuck was listening and thoroughly enjoying the turn of events.

Grumbling, he knew it was fair, but that didn't mean he enjoyed every aspect of it.

Giving up on the hack, Neal checked the room for clothes. Between not finding any and not being certain who was watching, he opted to remain in his pajama pants and t-shirt.

As he slipped out of the room, Neal slowly worked his way through the house padding along on bare feet. Walking through the halls and down the nearest stairs towards the dining room, he went to see if his guests were enjoying their breakfast, or if more had been recruited to this plot.

Along the way, he kept a wary lookout for anything that might be out of the ordinary or any of his traps he'd used on them the previous evening being turned against him.

Reaching the dining room, he found silence greeting him from the hallway, and opening the door showed an absence of guest.

"Boo!" exploded from every doorway surrounding him as his guests universally leaped out of hiding simultaneously while shouting to make him jump half out of his skin.

Leaning against the wall behind him, he put a hand to his chest. "Touché, turnabout is fair play. You didn't have to do anything too elaborate, just unexpected followed by simple. By the way, when did you knock me out?"

"After you went to sleep, it was easy to hit you with a tranq dart and then the rest was simple." Chuck grinned from where he was leaning against a wall like many of the others were.

"Did you do anything to Mozzie?" Neal wondered if he was the only one targeted by this revenge.

"Not exactly…" Chuck grinned. "I did mess with his door so it will probably take him a bit longer to get out than he expects, but nothing too drastic or damaging."

Amused, Neal figured Mozzie would associate the deed with the appropriate perpetrator. If a feud had started, he'd simply warn both sides before letting them deal with it, they were both grown adults and capable agents in their own rights after all.

Since they had returned the favor and scared Neal in return, many of the guests were no longer so upset by the scares they had received the night before. With the task of the morning accomplished, it was a mass shuffle towards the dining room as everyone moved to find food before packing and heading home.

*******

It took a while for everyone to head home and for the staff to clean up before the house was ultimately cleared of the majority of the guest and the staff was returning to their general duties.

Having Chuck call their clients in, Neal figured he might as well explain the gist to everyone and have this settled once and for all.

When the staff and his uncle's friend were assembled with his friends, Neal started to explain what had transpired.

"First, as I stated last night to many of you, my birth name is Neal Bennett while my mother is of the Caffrey line. I was here once before when I was two years old and my mother brought me to meet my great-uncle Connal, something I learned from his journals. Shortly after that, my father was caught for his actions and arrested while the rest of us were whisked away into Wit-sec. When I was eighteen, I learned the truth, went to college, and Chuck and the team here know what ultimately happened down that road. Now, I'm working in a task force seeking the others guilty of crimes associated with the same organization my father worked with. Since my father testified against the mob side, the corrupt officers were never caught and continue to grow more brazen and dangerous. By using my birth name and my mother's maiden name, I pose as bait while the agencies involved work to protect me and ultimately catch the guilty. Mozzie helps me with the work in addition to his own activities, but I'm not at liberty to go into any details there." Neal stood before them dressed in jeans and a plain tee-shirt so he was being open and honest with them while retracting the particularly classified details.

Since he couldn't legally answer most of the questions put forward, he had to refuse explanation to some inquiries, but his general honesty was well received and seemed to settle concerns. Having mentioned his role as bait, he did need to specify that the property was wired with the best security available and that it was secure for them to work in and visit as the case may be.

Satisfied as good as they were going to get, the staff returned to their duties more cheerful to work for the con. They might not know he was an agent, but they knew he was working for the FBI and in association with a taskforce rectifying their beliefs he was solely of criminal intent.

As for his great-uncle's friend, she seemed to have a new perspective of him as well. Standing up, she slowly walked forward to him. "You aren't a criminal at all, are you? There's something about your acting, that in the light of what you just shared, I can see your uncle confusing people's perspective by putting on a performance. I understand that you can't talk about it, but please just nod if that's the truth." When he nodded, she smiled in understanding. "That is just like your uncle." She didn't go into details at first, but it was because she appeared to be reminiscing.

Reaching out to touch her hand, Neal asked her once he had her attention. "I know I have a two-mile radius and can't be here all the time, but if you're willing to visit here, I'd love to hear any stories you can share about him and the family. Since I wasn't allowed to know, I only know what facts I've been able to research, but that's different from the first-hand perspective."

"Yes, I'd love that." She agreed through her tears. Although she wasn't able to remain due to a prior appointment, she shared her contact information and made plans for another meeting specifically intended to share stories and information about the Caffrey family.

*******

With most of his guest gone and plans to meet his uncle's friend in a few weeks arranged, Neal turned towards his remaining guests. Chuck and his team, Peter, Elizabeth, June, Jones, Diana, and Mozzie were looking at him expectantly. Then Mozzie handed him his own gun and vest to match the others.

Smiling as he realized what Mozzie had in store, Neal was looking forward to the game. "Gotcha?"

Nodding, Mozzie explained. "Everyone knows you're Bryce Larkin and Peter just called me by name when I handed him his vest, so it isn't a secret any longer either. With everyone here, let's make this a competition between the CIA, NSA, FBI, and civilians with teams of the CIA and NSA challenging the FBI and civilians. Neal will be on the FBI side as their consultant, and I will be on the NSA side for my actual affiliations. This makes the teams more even in numbers and puts everyone with their familiar people making it easier to work together. The CIA and NSA team is generally at a disadvantage for not knowing their way around which will help even the odds against the civilians who aren't trained in this kind of combat, even in fun." Then as everyone agreed to the teams, he went into detail on the rules. "We're going to keep the lights at low level to make it easier to hide, while allowing sight for what is around. The staff is doing their work so they are not to be interrupted, while caution is to be taken to prevent damage to any of the things about. Otherwise, general standards of laser tag apply. There are targets on your backs, shoulders, front, and the guns giving points for you to be shot. A hit to your targets turns off your gun for a minute allowing time for repositioning, and then you can resume pursuit, hopefully without being pursued. The game ends every half hour and we'll determine the winners based on who has the most targets from the other team and the least targets hit on themselves."

Making sure everyone understood, he then declared the game to start in ten minutes giving everyone time to disperse.

*******

At the conclusion of the weekend, Neal was sad to see the time end, but the promise of repeats helped provide something to look forward to.

They'd spent the entire weekend enjoying the entertainment of his mansion. Peter had insisted on a game of baseball, Casey put the shooting range to use challenging all other shooters to see who scored highest, Morgan and Chuck drug Neal to the game room, Elizabeth and June organized a movie night, and in general, everyone highly enjoyed everything he had organized while creating new friendships.

Amused, Neal had overheard several rounds of contact information being exchanged amongst the agents and civilians. He knew the teams had not only learned to tolerate each other, but they were building their own friendships.

Although Casey was the most reluctant, it had probably helped when the FBI proved champions of the laser tag while Peter tied Casey at the target practice, so even the colonel exchanged business cards with Peter by the end of the weekend. Proving themselves capable earned a chance to further prove themselves to the skeptical NSA agent.

Completely satisfied with the success of the weekend, Neal was okay with returning to the city and another work week. Life might return to a semblance of normal, but it would never be the same again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, everyone, for reading, reviewing, leaving kudos, and choosing to favorite :D  
> This is the conclusion of this story and I hope you come back next week for the beginning of Persuasioned :D

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you, everyone, for reading, following, choosing to favorite my stories and I, leaving kudos, and commenting/reviewing :D


End file.
